The framework has shifted from markup to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 4.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 17% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 18%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $66.
Sun Life Financial Inc
SLF · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $43.7B · 32,151 employees
Sun Life Financial Inc., a financial services company, provides asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional customers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland…
FAIL · Does not pass the screenAt the last full screen
2026-09-09
Screened 2026-09-09 · the tape above runs as of 15:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
This name holds its accumulation label.
Sun Life Financial Inc holds its Accumulation at $78.48. The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 19 days.
| Phase | Accumulation |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 19 days |
| Price at the screen | $78.48 |
| Valuation | 18.42 trailing · 12.49 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 30.0 |
| Beta | 0.80 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Excluded industry: Insurance - Diversified
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Excluded | Core business clean | Excluded industry: Insurance - Diversified | Fail |
| Debt load | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. | Fail |
| Interest-bearing cash | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. | Fail |
| Receivables | Excluded | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. | Fail |
| Revenue purity | Excluded | Below 5% | of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. | Fail |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-09 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 17.8% above the base estimate.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-09 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsInsurance giants fail our ethical line
Picture a Canadian insurer collecting premiums from families across Asia and North America. Sun Life does exactly that yet it lands on our excluded list because diversified insurance sits outside our ethical screen.
We pass for that single reason. The numbers add little temptation anyway. Revenue is flat, the narrow moat offers slim protection and the shares trade eight percent above our fair value with a forward multiple of 13.5 times that leaves scant margin.
Analyst targets sit well below the current price and returns on equity remain modest. Currency moves and regulatory shifts in multiple markets add further uncertainty. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 12.5xpriced for continued growth |
| Trailing P/E | 18.4xreasonably valued |
| EPS, trailing | 4.26 |
| EPS, forward | 6.28 |
| Revenue growth | +7.5%slow but positive growth |
| Profit margin | 9.5%thin but positive margins |
| Return on equity | 13.1%a solid return on shareholder capital |
| FCF yield | -31.50% |
| Dividend yield | 363.00% |
| Debt to equity | 0.58moderate, manageable leverage |
| Current ratio | 53.58comfortably covers its short-term bills |
| Beta | 0.80steadier than the market |
| 52-week range | 57.22 - 84.38 |
| Moat | NARROW |
| Market cap | $43.7B |
| Employees | 32,151 |
The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to Canada and to currency swings.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeSLF trades on the NYSE (the company is based in Canada). As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 6.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 17% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 18%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $66.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 17% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 18%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 15%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $66.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
- MFC Outperforms Industry, Hits 52-Week High: How to Play the Stock Zacks · 14 Jul 2026
- TELUS (TSX:T) Launches AI Consortium With Canadian Finance And Tech Leaders Simply Wall St. · 10 Jul 2026
- AI Consortium Launch With TELUS and Scotiabank Could Be A Game Changer For Sun Life (TSX:SLF) Simply Wall St. · 8 Jul 2026
- Is Sun Life Financial (TSX:SLF) Expensive On Its AI Consortium Move? Simply Wall St. · 8 Jul 2026
- News of the day: Trade surplus widens, CRTC comes down on phone fees, Scotiabank's new AI consortium, Ottawa invests in Teck, Canadians using BNPL and more Financial Post · 7 Jul 2026
Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $69.86 | +7.3% | $0.70 | $1,083 | +8.3% |
| 2 months | $64.65 | +15.9% | $0.70 | $1,170 | +17.0% |
| 3 months | $62.26 | +20.4% | $0.70 | $1,215 | +21.5% |
| 6 months | $58.53 | +28.1% | $1.37 | $1,304 | +30.4% |
| 1 year | $63.44 | +18.1% | $1.37 | $1,203 | +20.3% |
| 2 years | $46.50 | +61.2% | $3.79 | $1,693 | +69.3% |
| 3 years | $45.39 | +65.1% | $6.09 | $1,786 | +78.6% |
| 5 years | $43.59 | +72.0% | $10.26 | $1,955 | +95.5% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever SLF does next, these words stay.
Thirteen thousand names carry this page. One desk keeps them honest.
Membership opens the full screen archive, the composites built from it, and the daily coverage that prices what the screen approves.
Join the deskScreening is research, not a fatwa and not financial advice. Figures are drawn from public accounts at the screen date shown. Always manage your risk.